U-X-L Encyclopedia of U.S. History

This set offers more than 700 entries addressing various cultural, political, economic, and social events, trends, movements, and developments that shaped American history from precolonial times through present day. Articles have been written by a team of authors and editors, are arranged alphabetically, and range from a couple paragraphs to several pages. Black-and-white illustrations, reproductions, archival photographs, maps, sidebars, and inserts accompany the text. Cross-referenced subjects appear in bold print. Each volume includes the list of contents for all eight titles, a comprehensive set index, and a section called “Where to Learn More,” a listing of more than 300 print and online resources that were used as content references. The UXL imprint caters to students in grades 6 through 8, and, accordingly, the editors relied on the 2002 Curriculum Standards for Social Studies—Middle School, developed by the National Council for the Social Studies, to identify appropriate subjects. This set will be of interest to all secondary collections, however, because coverage extends beyond typical middle-school chronological scope (generally, eighth-grade studies span the founding of the nation through the Civil War, and high school picks up with Reconstruction through modern times). The set reflects the needs of this targeted age group. Articles feature accessible language, define terms within context, set paragraphs off with numerous subheadings, and assume minimal previous knowledge. The appeal of sets like this one is the convenience of having reliable and appropriate content compiled into one resource in one location. Much of this information is readily available through standard encyclopedias and online research sites, but locating precise answers to focused research assignments requires considerable time and judicious winnowing. Most school and public library collections that serve students in grades 6 through 12 will want to have this recommended resource on their shelves. Grades 6-12.